“That contract of yours… it’s quite professional,” the fly demon said slowly, nodding with a trace of admiration.

In truth, it had not fully understood the contract. 

Although it was relatively brief, with only twelve clauses, the specialized terminology made it seem somewhat obscure.

Nevertheless, it had managed to slog through a couple of books and could grasp a general sense of it. It was clear that Lynn had structured the contract in a way that afforded him certain advantages. 

However, it was not overly concerned, and in fact, it felt a sense of relief.

If Lynn had demanded nothing at all, the fly demon would have been far more uneasy.

A business partner who requires no share of the profits—what could their true intentions be?

Having lived in the Abyss for many years, the fly demon had witnessed its share of cruelties and deceit. It had been raised amidst the harsh and unforgiving environment of the Abyss and had seen many of its darker sides.

“I don’t have enough ores here, but I recently discovered a vein controlled by a demon clan. If you can provide the weapons, I’ll find a way to seize that vein,” the fly demon said.

“Then I look forward to our cooperation,” Lynn said with a beaming smile.

Aside from the blood essence, ores, and high-level demon slaves, Lynn was not particularly interested in any of the other items offered by the fly demon. Before leaving, he made sure to hand over the drafted contract.

Upon returning to Demon City, Lynn retrieved the pink gemstone he had purchased from the market and placed it on the table.

“Aren’t you curious about what this is?” Toby asked.

Lynn nodded and then shook his head. If Toby wanted to say more, he would.

“You’re familiar with the Abyss Mother River, right?

“The Abyss is a collection of all things forsaken and destroyed, but where there is death, there is also life. It’s unimaginable that life could emerge from such a ravaged place, but indeed, it was in the primordial Abyss Mother River that the first group of Abyss Demon Gods were born.

“Since the first generation of Abyss Demon Gods, as the Abyss continued to consume the planes and expand its dominion, the reach of the Abyss Mother River also grew.

“Over time, the Abyss Mother River gave rise to the ancient and primordial Abyss Great Lords, the Abyss Sovereigns, and the Abyss Lords.

“Until now, the Abyss Mother River no longer gave birth to powerful beings, but instead had transitioned from a qualitative to a quantitative role, producing a vast number of demon eggs daily. These eggs hatched into the countless demons that filled the Abyss.

“And this crystal came from the Abyss Mother River,” Toby explained to Lynn.

Was this also an egg?

Lynn eyed the pink crystal on the table. Could collecting a hundred of these pink crystals summon a demon lord?

Toby continued, “Legend has it that long ago, a powerful Abyss Great Lord was slain by a formidable enemy, leaving behind only a fragment of its soul, which managed to drift into the Abyss Mother River. Thanks to the river’s nurturing, after tens of thousands of years, the Abyss Great Lord was reborn, its strength greatly enhanced. It not only reclaimed its lost territory from its enemies but also touched the realm of the Demon God.” Ɽ𝙖ɴΟꞖËṧ

Lynn suddenly thought of something, and looked at the pink crystal on the table.

Seeing Lynn’s reaction, Toby understood that Lynn had made the connection.

“Every six years, the river generates a soul crystal.”

Good lord! It seemed he had indeed guessed correctly.

Lynn’s mouth twitched—this was a huge pitfall.

Over 2,000 years meant at least 400 crystals. Who knows how long it would take to collect 400 crystals in the vast Abyss? If one of them was accidentally picked up by a demon and taken home as a decorative stone, who knew when he would be able to find it?

“I’m sorry, this task is too heavy,” Lynn said, retrieving another pink crystal and placing it on the table alongside the broken horn of the Abyss Primordial Wolf Demon.

Though Toby did not explicitly say it, Lynn knew that accepting certain items came with responsibilities and burdens.

“I said that as long as you brought back this crystal, the broken horn would be yours. I understand this task is challenging…” Toby said slowly. His expression remained calm, but a deep weariness and sense of loss was evident in his eyes.

“It’s impressive that you managed to bring back two,” Toby continued.

“No worries. If you come across other soul crystals in the future, just bring them along if you can. It would be greatly appreciated.” Toby pushed the broken horn towards Lynn. “This horn is a gift for you. It holds no value for me, but it might be of some use to you.”

Lynn was silent for a moment, grasping the broken horn of the Abyss Primordial Wolf Demon. His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip.

After standing still for a moment, Lynn turned and walked towards the door.

“Actually,” Toby’s voice sounded from behind, “perhaps even the wizard who created that ritual didn’t truly believe it would succeed.

“The soul crystal could not be detected by any form of divination. Apart from its indestructible nature, it possessed no other mystical properties, making the search for it in the vast Abyss akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

“There is also a specific point in the ritual. It recurs every 3,000 years. 500 of these crystals must be gathered within 100 days at the end of each 3,000 year cycle, or it will start anew… This ritual is called the Redemption of the Abyss, but the Abyss has never been about redemption…”

Bang

The murmuring ceased abruptly with the sound of the door closing with a thud.

“Hey, where did you go?” came the exuberant voice of Ido from next door. “I just bought the land next door at half the market price. My negotiating skills are unparalleled. If you need anything next time, let me handle the bargaining for you.”

Lynn walked directly through the door, ignoring Ido’s enthusiasm.

Ido, seeing that Lynn had not turned towards her throughout, wrinkled her delicate nose. “What’s wrong now?”

“Did you find any promising candidates among the goblins with engineering talent?” Lynn asked the goblin engineers.

The goblin engineers responded in a flurry of voices, excitedly discussing their findings.

Among the newly emerged goblins, they had identified a promising group. 35 goblins in total had begun their training, though progress was slow without the transformation ritual tokens.

Lynn had already arranged for inquiries into purchasing the necessary raw materials for the transformation ritual.

He had the ritual array. With the right raw materials, he could perform large-scale transformations for the goblins.

However, in the next decade, Lynn knew he would need to engage in a more substantial collaboration with the fly demon.

Over the coming ten years, Lynn planned to prepare a large number of followers adept at weapon production. Such a task was definitely impossible for him, a wizard apprentice, to do it himself.

Meanwhile, the fly demon, having packed up, boarded its evil-winged bird and headed towards the far side of the plains.

In the vast kingdom, buildings reflecting both demonic and elven styles were scattered across the plains.

Large groups of dark half-elves, transformed by the Abyss’ influence, were proliferating and thriving across the land.

At the heart of the plains, atop a mountain, a white castle came into view.

The flying creature descended, and the fly demon entered the castle.

“Is it done?” In the heart of the castle, Dyo, clad in blood-red armor in her seat, turned her head to inquire.

“It has been completed,” the fly demon replied. “However, he and I struck a deal as well. He left this for me before he departed.” The fly demon recounted the terms of the transaction with Lynn and handed Dyo the contract Lynn had written.

Dyo glanced at the document and a knowing smile crept across her face. “It seems he suspected that I was behind you.”

“How could it be? I didn’t say a word,” the fly demon exclaimed in shock.

“Do you understand the contents of this contract?” Dyo inquired.

The fly demon shook its head.

“Then why did he insist on giving it to you?” Dyo questioned.

The fly demon suddenly realized.

“He didn’t give it for you to read; it was meant for me.”

——

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